Game-based Learning vs. Gamification

When considering what types of gaming to include in your course, you should think about how in-depth you would like your material to go, how you would prefer your students to engage with one another, and how you will grade them on the outcome.

Expand allGame-based Learning

This is the term for students playing a game IN your class. Game-based Learning includes games that span a class session or 2 (although they can last longer). Often these games are "Commercial, off the shelf" (COTS) or games that already exist and are modified for your lesson or skill-set. Game-based learning often assesses the learning and practice of skills more than the testing of knowledge or competition (although both may be present).

Examples of this include:

• Using boardgames or card games to teach social skills, critical thinking, or specific knowledge skills used in play.
• VR or video games in the classroom to help students learn about new technology in physical rehab, hand-eye coordination, interpersonal or ethical considerations in immersive environments.
• Role-playing historical, fictional, or important figures in a specific time period or major debate.
• Group collaboration in which students enact crisis scenarios to practice their abilities to apply the knowledge they have learned.

Considerations:

Without proper explanation up-front, students (and colleagues) may view these games as busy work or pandering to student interests over rigor of material. This is often not the case, but without proper preparation and student reflection post-game, the games may not be as effective. Some off-the-shelf games are complex and may overburden students if the rules are more work. Possible solutions? Keep in-class games as simple as possible and play the game ahead of time so you feel what students might experience their first time. Save time for students to verbally reflect or write brief overviews of what they learned.

Gamification

For gamification, the learning itself is made into a game. You can have gamification in your course without ever playing a game during a session. Many aspects if gamification use competition and rewards as motivating factors to encourage learning. The course material become part of the game, and the final grade may be a result of individual achievements throughout. So as students progress through the semester, their progress is marked with cumulative achievements, rewards, or access to new benefits.

Examples include:

• Badges gained by completing certain lessons of achieving specific objectives.
• Competition among students using leaderboards, progress charts, and class rankings.
• Group contests that can span longer periods of time, such as an activity at the beginning of each class where teams or individuals earn points towards a larger goal.

Considerations:

Competition can motivate some students, be de-motivate others, especially if they feel they have fallen behind and cannot catch up. Leaderboards and points that are tied to grades can also heighten students' fears of failure and add to less of a community feel to the class. Possible solutions? Try to make students striving for internal motivation rather than external. You could use individual Achievement Charts where they see their own growth rather than compare themselves to others. Make competition friendly, where losing once still provides an opportunity to go further next time.

Helpful Tips for Getting Started with Game-Based Learning

1. Start small- you do not have to revamp your entire schedule. It can be as simple as a ten minute (or less!) case study that students role-play.
2. Get help- there are resources here at CTE that can help make this easy. We have a game library, one-on-one consultations, and a great network of other faculty across disciplines who can offer tips, advice, and ideas.
3. Know Your Objective- games are engaging tools for learning, but only if they align with your learning objectives. Ask yourself what you would like students to learn from their experience, whether a game is the most appropriate form of active learning for your lesson, and how it helps show student knowledge and critical thinking.
4. Plan Ahead- Know what you're class will look like during the game. How many students are there? Can they move around? What materials do you need? How will you assess the outcome? Have you played the game yourself to determine how much time it will take?